NHL Insider Frank Seravalli Picks 4 Top 2026-27 Futures Bets

Few professional sports are as volatile from year to year as the NHL. Every season delivers surprise playoff contenders, steep regressions, and major shifts from preseason expectations.

That unpredictability creates sharp pricing discrepancies between oddsmakers and a team’s true outlook. By factoring in off-season roster moves, underlying metrics, and key injury updates, we can spot where the market is over- or undervaluing teams heading into 2026-27.

Here are four futures bets offering strong value: 

Montréal Canadiens (+2000) to win the Stanley Cup 

The drive for Stanley Cup No. 25 is alive in Montréal, and frankly, these market odds do not compute.

Yes, the Atlantic Division is a relentless grind, and yes, the Canadiens’ run ended abruptly against Carolina after winning two heroic road Game 7s. But why are their longshot odds so heavily discounted compared to last season’s other three conference finalists?

Oddsmakers seem to expect a massive bounce-back from Florida. But what if the Panthers’ goaltending falters? As one anonymous NHL goalie coach put it: “My hot take is Florida has the worst goaltending tandem in the league, and the Canadiens have the best in the division.”

Montréal returns almost the entirety of that Eastern Conference Final squad. They boast a 50-goal scorer in Cole Caufield, reigning Selke Trophy winner Nick Suzuki, and blue-line phenom Lane Hutson, alongside elite rising talents Ivan Demidov and Juraj Slafkovský. At +2000, Montréal offers massive value to make another deep run. 

Florida Panthers Under 107.5 Points 

Skepticism is growing regarding Florida’s health and age profile. As one anonymous NHL GM noted: “I know everyone expects Sasha Barkov to bounce back, but people forget it often takes a full 18 months for a player coming off an ACL tear to return to form. It’s rarely immediate.”

Compounding those concerns, Brad Marchand revealed in August that he underwent late-offseason surgery to repair a lingering injury, putting his status for opening night in serious doubt.

While Florida’s high-end forward group remains stacked, hitting 108 or more points leaves virtually zero margin for error—and major red flags are already piling up.

Remember, during their 2024-25 Cup-winning campaign, Florida finished with just 98 regular-season points. Expecting a 10-point leap from an aging, banged-up roster is a stretch.

Los Angeles Kings Over 95.5 Points 

There isn’t anyone around hockey particularly bullish on the long-term outlook for the Los Angeles Kings, with concerns over how the roster has been constructed and whether it is sustainable moving forward. 

“I don’t like their roster construction at all, this feels like a roster Kenny (Holland) is holding together by duct tape,” one rival NHL GM said.  

But this isn’t a bet about the future, it’s about the present. And I believe the Kings have enough to be a playoff team.  

Last season marked the first time since 2001 that Peter Laviolette did not serve as an NHL head coach. Now he has the ability to make an immediate impact which could be one of the Kings’ biggest strengths. 

“I will say, few coaches get more out of their team in the first year than ‘Lavy’ and that’s a big thing the Kings have going for them,” the GM said.  

In Laviolette’s first season with the Rangers, Artemi Panarin netted a career-best 49 goals and 120 points. The Kings are better supported down the middle this season with Erik Haula and Scott Laughton. Wiley veterans Mats Zuccarello and Corey Perry will still be productive.  

Evidenced by Panarin’s two-year deal, the Kings aren’t built for a long time, they’re built for a good time – and that’s to be in the postseason again.

Detroit Red Wings (+1900) to have the fewest points 

Yes, in a league with the Vancouver Canucks, this might seem like a stretch. Detroit finished 34 points clear of the Canucks last year, but their final position doesn’t tell the full story. 

But this is a bet on the dysfunction in Detroit with a Red Wings team closing in on training camp without a general manager. “It’s inexcusable how long this search has taken, truly baffling to me that a billion-dollar franchise would operate this way in 2026,” an NHL GM said.  

“When the league held its Zoom call with GMs and head coaches last week, we were all jockeying to try and figure out who was representing Detroit.” It was assistant GM Shawn Horcoff, alas.  

But then the Red Wings announced Dylan Larkin would attend training camp, despite not rescinding his trade request, and would no longer be captain of the team.  

“Why strip him of the ‘C’ and whose decision was that?” one rival executive asked. “I get he requested a trade but he has been a good citizen. They could’ve played nice and created some appearance of stability before they traded him.”  

The concern is that these issues with the roster could be the main factor for a low scoring season. 

By our count, the Red Wings only have five great players on their roster. Larkin is one of them; Simon Edvinsson is another and he does not have a contract yet. If Larkin departs midseason, look out for a team that played at the Canucks’ pace (.392) over the final 28 games of last season.